A $30 omelet, a $300 limousine ride and taxpayer-funded hotel rooms. This is the New Jersey State League of Municipalities conference, where local officials spenthundreds of thousands of tax dollars on a three-day trip to New Jersey's party capital, Atlantic City.

Every year in November, New Jersey taxpayers pay for municipal officials to attend the three-day conference, whose ostensible purpose is to provide a venue to learn about the latest in everything from court reform to organizing infrastructure.

But there is no clear way of knowing how many of these officials are taking advantage of the educational opportunities. And how expenses are paid varies from town to town; some insist that officials pay their own way, while others have processed expense claims for such indulgencesas expensive room service meals and chauffeured rides between venues.

The conference is billed as an opportunity for local officials to earn continuing-education credits, and for community leaders to further their towns' development by attending any combination of the more than 100 classes or visiting some of the 1,000 or so exhibit booths purchased by vendors from throughout the state.

But local officials also get an itinerary from vendors listing almost 100 parties, cocktail receptions, cigar nights and happy hours, typically hosted by people looking to do business with towns.

Atlantic City — a place better known for its casinos and nightlife than responsible government — has always been home to the League of Municipalities conference, according to Michael Darcy, the League's executive director.

It's a setting that Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, says presents ample opportunities for officials to learn — and to engage in more sociable activities.

“There are plenty of receptions and different groups and vendors seeking to do business,” Rasmussen said. “There are a lot of opportunities to work hard, and a lot to play hard.”

The conference spans three days and two nights.

Among 1,096 municipal officials with badges who went to the 2018 conference from the NorthJersey.com coverage area, which includes Bergen and Passaic counties and parts of Morris and Essex counties, less than percent used them to attend a class, League records show.

While hundreds of people milled about and talked to exhibitors on the convention floor, a reporter observed that few classes were filled to capacity. One class that drew a standing-room-only crowd was about the legalization of marijuana.

League officials have noted that it is not a requirement to scan a badge to attend a class, unless it's to earn continuing-education credits.

“There are enormous benefits to attending the statewide program,” said Alan Zalkind, the director of the Center for Government Services at Rutgers University, referring to the conference. “There aren’t many opportunities where everyone from the state can get together.”

But there are downsides, too. Last year's conference, which was heldfrom Nov. 13to 15,coincided with a snowstorm that crippled highways and local roads, leaving thousands of motorists stranded for hours. Some irate commuters took to social media to blame the conference, and some local officials admitted to being out of the loop on snow cleanup efforts because they were still in South Jersey.

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The biggest spender

Cliffside Park officials and employees spent more at the League of Municipalities conference than any other town in Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Morris counties, with $17,791 in expenses for 22 borough officials that included limo rides, taxis and high-priced meals.

Of the 22 employees or elected officials that the borough sent to the conference, only four swiped in to attend classes, according to conference records.

William Maer, a spokesman for Cliffside Park, said more officials attended classes, but didn't scan their badges because they weren't there to earn continuing-education credits.

"The borough finds it useful for professionals to attend and network in the field and to attend association meetings, meet with vendors and to interact with them to see the latest products offered to municipal government," Maer said. "We had a significant amount of participation in the classes that may not have been reflected, but they listened and took notes."

Cliffside Park spent $17,791.48 on the League of Municipalities conference.(Photo: Jessica Presinzano/NorthJersey.com)

During the three-day conference, some of the items put on borough taxpayers' tab included limousine and car services totaling over $2,000; a $72.80 room service charge by Frank Berardo, the chief financial officer and tax collector, that included a $30 omelet, and one meal for Councilman Ken Corcoran for $1,063.

"The borough will look into the issue to see if in the future there's a better system in place," Maer, who spoke on Cliffside Park officials' behalf, said of the expenses. "But we feel confident that the public's money was used wisely in this process."

Other North Jersey towns also racked up significant costs. Fort Lee spent $14,166 on hotel expenses for 32 officials and employees, and Lincoln Park paid out $1,199 in mileage expenses.

Towns like Rockaway Township and Hasbrouck Heights took different approaches to spending tax dollars.

Jeremy Jedynak, a Rockaway Township councilman, said he has attended the League of Municipalities conference for years. The township has paid for badges and expenses only for the business administrator and health officer, he said. This year, the township spent$629 on hotels and badges.

"I have made a point of paying my own way to attend the League to avoid any costs to the taxpayers of Rockaway Township, just as I have been a volunteer in my capacity as a council member," Jedynak said. "The taxpayers of Rockaway Township shouldn't be paying for any elected officials to attend."

Ron Kistner, a councilman in Hasbrouck Heights and director of operations for the borough of Allendale, also paid his own way to attend the conference. Kistner said he has used vendors who exhibit on the convention floor, including one for playground equipment in Allendale.

Why Atlantic City?

The depth of workshops and panel discussions and the opportunity to make connections is “huge” for local officials, said Rasmussen, of the Rebovich Institute.

The League of Municipalities conference has been held for 103 years and is primarily a place to gather for education, networking and peer discussions, said Darcy, the executive director.

“Atlantic City has always been the venue because it is the only place that can accommodate the size of the conference,” he said. "We don’t do it in Las Vegas because we are the New Jersey League of Municipalities, so we are holding it in New Jersey.”

When questioned, Darcy was adamant that Atlantic City had the only venue with the capacity to host the conference. In addition to the League, the New Jersey School Boards Association holds a conference in Atlantic City in October, and the New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, holds its convention in Atlantic City, also in November.

“The Meadowlands or the college campuses cannot accommodate everything that we have going on," he said. "There is a need for the conference floor as well as sleeping, meals, meetings. This is a professional conference for adults, and we want it to be handled in a first-class, professional manner.”

Among those who attendedthe 2018 conference were Mayor Richard Rigoglioso of Garfield and City Manager Thomas Duch, both of whomsaid the classes were beneficial. Records show they both swiped into classes.

“We went to a class on opportunity zones because we have a few of these in the city," Duch said. "It was a great way to see how we can take advantage of that in Garfield. We also went to a class called ‘HeArt of Downtown’ that was about using arts and culture to grow the downtown area.”

Lodi officials consider the show floor a resource. Councilman Vincent Martin walked the convention floor andreturned with Borough Manager Vincent Caruso to show him the latest technology for school security.

Zalkind, of the Center for Government Services at Rutgers, said the conference offers “genuine” work development time. “It’s an opportunity to network across the state,” he said. “It’s a chance for a town to find out what a town in North Jersey is doing versus a town in Cape May.”

In addition to information about available resources, vendors hand out lots of promotional items, including pens, hats and mugs. There are even a few raffles.

Officials want to meet their peers, see what other towns did right or wrong and learn from their mistakes and successes. “It’s been proven to be an invaluable experience,” Rasmussen said.

Elected officials and local government employees are also offered incentives to bring their spouses to the conference. Tax dollars pay for conference badges ranging from $55 to $65, but spouses are offered free badges to attend. Spouses were also listed on dozens of hotel rooms where reimbursement forms were submitted and approved by towns.

“A lot of times people will go for several days, so rather than be apart they can just bring their spouse," Darcy said. "It’s not particularly unusual."

Breakfast to the wee hours

In addition to the classes and discussions, the three days of the conference are filled with non-League-sanctioned events that start at breakfast and end at 2 a.m.

The receptions, breakfasts, cigar nights and liquor tastings have their own agenda, with invitations going out to towns weeks in advance. They are sponsored by vendors including Maser Consulting, an engineering and design firm, and law firms such as Kaufman, Semeraro and Leibman.

Brian Chewcaskie, the attorney for Leonia and Mahwah, was spotted at the Boswell Engineering party in the Tropicana Casino. A few hundred feet away, Neglia Engineering also was hosting a cocktail party. Among the officials there were Wallington Councilwomen Melissa Dabal and WendySu Ivanicki.

Fifteen years ago, similar gatherings at the fringes of the League conference were a backdrop for the biggest undercover sting in New Jersey history. The decade-long federal corruption investigation known as Operation Bid Rig led to the arrests of 46 municipal and state officials in 2009.

The arrests were made largely on the basis of deals arranged by federal agents that ensnared public officials at soirées and in hotel hospitality suites over several years of League conferences.

“People will say to me that something bad happened during the conference, but anytime they say that I tell them that it could have happened anywhere," Darcy said. "It was only at the same time and in the same city. There’s not a logical connection.”

If the League is aware of an event hosted by a private company during the day, it takes steps to stop it, Darcy said. However, if it happens after the conferences closes, it's up to local officials to decide whether to attend.

If residents of a town want to know what their local officials are up to at the conference, ask them, Rasmussen recommended.

“What did you do? What did you learn and take away from it?" Rasmussen said. "It's no different from anything else. If you want transparency, you probably have to ask them about it."

Back home

Towns across North Jerseyrescheduled or canceled meetings to accommodate those who wereplanning to attend the midweek conference.

Things only got worse as the conference drew to a close. The first snow of the season caused chaos on the state's roads and rails.

Looking at the disgraceful preparation for the storm, anyone would think all the municipal employees in the state of #NJ have been getting hammered in a casino all week! #njleague#NJLM2018#FirstSnow

At council meetings, some officials admitted they weren't around to realize the full scope of the trouble.

"I wasn't in town," said James Rotundo, a former mayor of Palisades Park who was still in office at the time. "I was out of town, so I know we were getting a lot of calls. ... It must have been horrific and horrendous around here."